APCActive™ was developed in response to the implementation of the Medicare outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS). The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1986 called for the development of a prospective payment system for outpatient care. The OPPS developed by CMS is the outpatient equivalent of the inpatient DRG-based PPS. The basic unit of payment in the inpatient PPS is a hospital admission while the basic unit of payment in the OPPS is an outpatient visit.

Like the inpatient system based on the Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs), each APC has a pre-established prospective payment amount associated with it. However, unlike the inpatient system that assigns a patient to a single DRG, multiple APCs can be assigned to one outpatient record. If a patient has multiple outpatient services during a single visit, the total payment for the visit is computed as the sum of the individual payments for each service.

There are two APCActive™ Components:

APCActive™ Code Editor DLL combines editing logic with the new APC assignment program designed to meet the mandated OPPS implementation. The software performs the following functions when processing a claim:

• Edits a claim for accuracy using full Outpatient Code Editor (OCE) specifications and optional CMS Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) edits

• Assigns APCssigns APCs

• Assigns CMS-designated service indicators

• Assigns payment indicators

• Computes discounts, if applicable

• Determines the disposition of a claim based on generated edits

• Determines if packaging is applicable

• Determines payment adjustment, if applicable

APCActive™ Pricer DLL  uses the payment indicators from the Code Editor DLL output and computes the APC reimbursement and coinsurance amounts for each line item using the same pricing factors and formulas used by Medicare.  The APCActive™ Pricer DLL will calculate a geographically adjusted APC reimbursement for any Medicare hospital in the U.S.

Availability:

There are two types of APCActive™ DLLs to match your system architecture:

• Desktop versions of APCActive™ DLLs utilize Microsoft Access databases for fast and efficient in-line processing.

• APCActive Enterprise™ DLLs are available in .Net format and utilize Microsoft SQL Server data components for high-performance in large-scale enterprise and web-based applications.

Data Requirements

The following data elements must be included on a patient record to successfully be processed by the program:

Type of billService dateStatement covers period, from and through datesRevenue codeBirth dateService unitsSexChargesCondition codesMedicare provider number (NPI or OSCAR)HCPCS/CPT procedure code(s) and modifier(s)ICD-10-CM diagnosis code(s)

APCActive™ Outpatient PPS (OPPS) Components are an ideal solution for claims processing applications, data warehousing and data analysis, claim review, compliance auditing, repricing applications and more.

Compatible with the leading Windows development environments including:

• Microsoft Visual Studio

• Microsoft .Net Core (.Net, 6, 7, 8)

• Microsoft .Net Framework 4.6.2+

• Microsoft SQL Server

Licensing:

APCActive™ components are licensed based upon usage.

For a single site installation, like a health plan, hospital, or university, the APCActive™ components are licensed for internal use based on the size of the installation.

For a Software Developer including the APCActive™ component in a software package for distribution to an end user, a distribution agreement is required. Terms: an initial license fee and a per-site fee for each APCActive™ Component.